Getting my legs ready to bare..

I feel very strange divulging this on the internet, when I can't even wear a skirt to walk down the street. I suffer really badly from ingrown hairs all over my lower legs. And when I say really badly, I mean it's very bad and very unsightly - not just something I have a personal hang up about. It's not just the odd raised bump here or there, it's me entire leg. It's a dot to dot. And they are angry! I've done a lot of Googling and research and there doesn't really seem to be a lot of information about ingrown hairs on legs, more so on faces. My boyfriend and I have done a lot of research and I've used a lot of products and tried lots of things, so this post is about all the products I'm using on my legs and everything I'm doing! Hopefully if anyone else suffers from the same problem, this might help.

I don't shave my legs, always wax, so that can't be the reason. I can't really pinpoint a time when it started, I do remember a time when my legs just looked normal. It got really bad just after I got back from gap year travelling, about four years ago, and it's just got worse as time goes on. It really does get me down, mostly because I have so many gorgeous dresses and shorts and I can never wear them! I really don't like to expose my legs. So, I decided that this was the summer for some intensive leg care.

Let's start with exfoliation. I use the olive shower gel from The Body Shop on a puffy net thing (not really sure on its technical term). I really like the olive range, I think it's a lot less harsh than some of their other fruitier scents. I know I should probably be using something other than the netty-puffy thing on my legs. It's tied together with string in the centre, so stays pretty damp between uses. I've been told that this is an absolute breeding ground for bacteria, so if there is broken skin on my legs, I'm just constantly re-infecting them from the sponge. Sorry if that's too graphic. I don't want to use anything too harsh on my skin, and have no idea what I could replace it with! Recommendations anyone? For a deeper exfoliation twice a week, I use Molton Brown's Warming Eucalyptus and Ginger Body Scrub, which I absolutely LOVE. It smells so good, and makes the angry patches on my legs feel really soothed. I won't show you a picture of mine, the lettering rubs off the tub really easily and it looks fairly shoddy!

Molton Brown - £29

I've been using TendSkin intermittently for about a year now, not twice a day as it should be used and with long periods of no use. I soak some into a cotton pad and then just wipe it all over my legs. It does sting a bit if you've got any broken skin, but I think if it's hurting then it's probably working. I've realised that for this product to really work, it needs to be used religiously. After a few weeks of use, I would notice a definite improvement, get complacent and stop using it. I've accepted the fact that this is probably going to be something I have to use for the rest of my life! You definitely need to get into a routine with this, or leave yourself enough time for it to dry on your skin. It's incredibly drying so you need a generous lashing of moisturiser after this. Hence the drying time! It really is a fantastic product though, and so unexpected. I would never have thought that something that looked so unassuming and, dare I say, cheap, could work so well. Ever the snob! It's sort of aimed at men for their faces, but it works just as well on legs. It does smell of pure alcohol though, so one has to question what it does to the face! I order mine from Mankind, who often send out 20% discount vouchers to lure you back in if you haven't shopped recently! I think you can get it for about £8 and it does last quite a while. I wouldn't put a price on clear legs though, I'd buy this stuff if it was £100.

TendSkin - mankind.co.uk, £9.95; Malin+Goetz - Liberty, £27

 In the mornings, I slather on the moisturiser after TendSkin, but in the evenings I shake it up a bit. I've started using Malin+Goetz Ingrown Hair Cream. It was the first cream I'd heard of that targeted that specific problem. I picked mine up from Ministry of Waxing in Covent Garden, their partner for this product. You can also find it in Liberty and Brummell's of London, but they were sold out for an absolute eternity due to it being so popular. For £27, I was surprised at how small the tube was, but you only need a very concentrated amount on the particularly problematic areas. A little really does go a long way. I've noticed a difference in the few short weeks I've been using this; there is still redness, but so much less. I've definitely noticed less new ingrown hairs cropping up, it's all about getting rid of the existing stubborn ones now. I thought this product might have a Savlon-y smell to it, and it does smell a bit medicinal, but in a really nice, tangy, fresh way.

I really think these two products together might be a winning combination. I definitely like to see instant results but I'm having to learn to be a bit more patient with this. It's going to take a long time for the skin around the really bad areas to regenerate. I've taken some 'Before' pictures, and when I think I'm finally there, I'll take some 'After' pictures. But I'm definitely not going to share until I have a nice clear leg to show off! I'm optimistic. Finding a combination of products that seems to be working has made me more positive and convinced that before Winter is here, I WILL wear a skirt! Until then, I try to disguise the marks a bit with Garnier Summerbody. I find that I can't use this too often though and especially not if I plan to leave the house that day! It smells really vile, but does give my legs a lovely natural colour.

Does anyone else suffer from this problem? I would genuinely be really interested to hear about anyone else's experiences, are there any other products that have really worked for you?

Here's to smooth legs. <3